Many types of stars show conspicuous emission lines in their optical spectra. These stars are broadly referred to as emission line stars. Emission line stars are attractive to many people because of their spectacular phenomena and their amazing varieties and variability. This book offers general information on emission line stars, starting from a brief introduction to stellar astrophysics, and then moving to a broad overview of emission line stars including early and late type stars as well as pre-main sequence stars. Detailed references and index are prepared for further reading.

Tomokazu Kogure's email address: [email protected]

Emission line stars are attractive to many people because of their spectacular phenomena and their amazing varieties and variability. This book offers general information on emission line stars, starting from a brief introduction to stellar astrophysics and then moving to a broad overview of emission line stars including early and late type stars as well as pre-main sequence stars.

This book considers the history of modern astronomy and astrophysics in Japan by comparing with the development of astrophysics in western countries. Astrophysics essentially arose in three separate fields: astronomical spectroscopy, stellar structure, and survey of celestial objects. This book introduces readers to the state of astronomy back to the Tokugawa era (18th - 19th centuries), when the chief task of astronomers was limited to the calendar making. With the so-called Meiji revolution (1868), the situation drastically changed. The Meiji Government promoted the modernization of Japan by hiring numbers of foreign instructors in political, social, and cultural affairs, including Construction of Observatory and University. Then the foreign studies of Japanese researchers lasted for many years. After the Second World War, Japan experienced great social and economical growth allowing the constructions of large optical, radio, and space instruments. With this background astrophysics progressed and eventually flourished. The book ends by highlighting Japanese contributions to international collaboration up to the early 21st century. Readers of this book will understand how astrophysics has grown into one of the major sciences in Japan, and how the works of individual astronomers are contributing to the global advancement of knowledge of the universe.